Sunday 21 September 2014

We need a different, supportive & conciliatory working culture at Brent Council

I have received many comments about the Empoyment Tribunal Judgment on Brent Council and Cara Davani,  This one I thought was worth publishing separaely as it gives a different, contextual view:

First the good stuff. Before Cara Davani arrived Human Resources in Brent was not fit-for-purpose. The few staff that were under-performing or not contributing could not be tackled by managers due to inadequate policies and procedures and HR advisors who were risk adverse, without realising the damaging impact that this was having on front-line services. CD did not do all the work, and cannot take all the credit, but be in no doubt whatsoever that under her leadership HR changed and is now fit-for-purpose, helping managers to build performing teams, establishing a modern flexible, service-first (not staff-first) culture. Without CD this would not have happened. She deserves enormous credit for this. As they saying goes, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.

I cannot definitively tell, but from what I have seen, CD is not a racist or prejudiced. Nevertheless, since Gareth Daniels left, the number of BME staff working in the top three tiers of managers, has unhelpfully plummeted - going down to just one at one stage. This era appeared to involve the recruitment of a number of people that had worked with the new senior officer leadership for previous employers. Perhaps this is a more benign reason for the reduction in BME senior managers?

CD's private website states that she is in a relationship with the Council's Senior Employment lawyer. Some worry that this might influence advice given and action taken. it would be a disciplined relationship indeed if both never talked informally about staff employment matters before formal employment advice is given on the same cases.

However, it is the case that many senior managers are wary of CD, the CEX and Leader. They all seem to come to quick judgements about people's careers based on small issues. CDs email in the Judgement that expressed her disappointed that a colleague did not say hello to her, is pretty typical. All three seem to have a view that managers that pre-date their coming to power 2 or 3 years ago, are somehow inferior and in many cases must go (and have gone). There has been a very strong centralisation of power, with even relatively senior managers no longer being authorised to make fairly mundane decisions. This engenders a sense that senior leaders, mistrust staff and junior managers to take those decisions, and culture of fear if small things like not saying hello, help build their view of you as an employee.

The coming year will be brutal, as heavy Government austerity cuts are implemented. This will hit services much harder than previously, as many of the softer options have already happened. Many more staff will lose their jobs in the next 18 months, and this further builds a culture of fear.

Be clear, Brent Council needed the shake-up, which Gareth Daniels launched, and CD played a big part in delivering. But it is now a brutal place to work, where expectations of staff - despite their being far fewer - is unhealthy and unreasonably high. We now need to move forward with a different supportive, conciliatory and team-building culture.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

No one is disputing that a shake-up was needed, the problem is the way it was done, staff are human beings, the disrespect and the bullying have no place in any organisation, at least with those HR staff you had someone you could go to for advice. That is not the case now. Since Gareth left Brent has been more like a headless chicken with CD seemingly leading from behind. When Gareth started the re-structure he got rid of the consultants under CD there were more consultants than ever. I find the above annoying at times ..'under her leadership HR changed and is now fit-for-purpose, helping managers to build performing teams, establishing a modern flexible, service-first (not staff-first) culture' crap. It would be interesting to do a freedom of information to see how the number of complaints before both internally and externally has increased.Could this person be one of her consultants? Hmmm

Anonymous said...

Totally disagree with a lot of the pro Davani points - word was if you want to get rid of someone, just let Davani know the name, most of the staff she got rid of were very competent in their jobs, Head of Diversity was very competent came in one morning and by lunch time was gone. Too many people are being ordered into her office told to sign a piece of paper to get a pay-off, I personally know someone in HR who spoke out and was gone by the end of the day -'under her leadership HR changed and is now fit-for-purpose, helping managers to build performing teams' load of crap.

Anonymous said...

It would be worth watching "undercover boss"

Frontline staff are key to successful organizational management.

Cara Davani obviously comes from the old school of management and it has had its day.

Collaboration between all stakeholders is the new mantra and not just words but action.

Looking from the outside, Brent Council and staff have been using the mantra language of collaboration, but in practice it has been highly autocratic.

The top management have to go for the ship to move in a different direction.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with the points above. No one is in dispute and I'd even go as far to say during Gareth's time we were ahead of the game. Clive Heaphy bought Davani in (whilst there was still a Head of HR in post) and since then she has created a culture of fear, intimidation, victimisation and racism. This is separate to the fear of possibility of loss of job....I'd even go so far as to say, some staff would welcome the opportunity to be put out of this misery.

Staff will tell you AND the ET judgement has told you on every page about the culture existing in this organision. There is no moving forward with ANY OF THESE people in power - their lack of action leads me to believe that they agreed with her behaviour and hold the same views.

'I cannot definitively tell, but from what I have seen, CD is not a racist or prejudiced'...if you happen to be a senior manager, who is a BME working at Brent Council and this hasn't happened to you yet - you're one of the lucky ones! Sleep with one eye open as you never know when you're time might come...but it is coming. Even though this is the case, the ET saw through Davani and the rest of them and came to the only conclusion it could...racist, racist, racist...

'CD'... is in a relationship with the Council's Senior Employment lawyer. Some worry that this might influence advice given and action taken...' I don't care who she is in a relationship with. I do care when they are colluding and plotting. Discussing and making decisions on outcomes before evidence is heard. All decisions that these 2 love birds have been involved in should be reviewed independently....not by one of those consultants who has previously worked for/with Davani.

'senior managers not authorised to make mundane decisions' so why do we have them and what are we paying for? If they can't do that then they surely aren't making decisions on strategy...

Thanks for publishing Martin!

Anonymous said...

100% accurate.

Anonymous said...

Being anonymous, this contribution can't carry much weight. It's measured and considered but it could have been written by anyone, especially as it sounds like an outsider would expect the 'official line' to be, at least on Davani's supposed solid work in the past. Obviously, almost all the other contributions on here are anonymous but the difference is that they write in support of what the Tribunal concluded AND there's getting on for 200 of them!
As for 'you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs', this was originally used in relation to the French revolution but has been more often used in connection with Stalin. And that shows the limits of its usefulness really. It all depends on the nature of the egg-breaking and the ultimate quality of the resulting egg dish. To this outsider, Davani's efforts seem to have involved some particularly violent smashing of far too many eggs for an end product that no one seems to want to eat.
Mike Hine

Anonymous said...

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the praise for some of the things at Brent which Cara Davani has contributed to, the conclusion is clear. Things have gone badly wrong, and must be put right without delay. The starting point for the Council putting its house in order has to be that Cara Davani leaves Brent immediately, either voluntarily or under misconduct procedures.

I have made my views on this clear in an email to Councillor Butt today (with links to the four relevant blogs), copied to my three ward Councillors for their information. I would encourage other Brent residents to do likewise. For better or worse, they were elected in May to take responsibility for the way our borough is run, and we have a right to expect that they will do their job properly. Let your elected representatives know what you think - then at least they cannot claim that they were not aware of the issue, and we will have the chance of "holding the Council to account".

Philip Grant.

Anonymous said...

I am sure I read something about an elected Councillor involved with Bloomsbury HR consultants appointed by Ms Davani ?

The plot gets thicker if a Councillor is also involved.

Nan Tewari said...

Well before this matter was lodged with the Employment Tribunal, I took the opportunity of speaking to Cllr Butt in some detail about the deleterious effect Cara Davani was having on both HR staff and across departments generally.

I explained that I had worked for a number of organisations that had needed to make improvements in staff performance and service delivery and that in every case I had managed to do this both rapidly as well as in a civilised way that did not destabilise individuals or organisations. In all instances I had delivered the service improvements required.

And yes, I did do this work as a daily paid interim working for each organisation for a few months and always with the result of leaving the organisation in better shape than I had found it on arrival.

In saying all of this to Cllr Butt, I pointed out that Davani was causing an enormous amount of damage in trying to achieve her objectives and that this was entirely unnecessary, not to say gratuitously done, as though she bore a grudge against the staff she was working with.

With reference to the piece above, I have looked through the policies in existence at the time that Davani arrived. Whilst they could have benefitted from a tidy-up and a lick of grammatical polish, they were perfectly adequate. What was wrong was that managers were untrained in how to apply the policies - a failing in many organisations, not just Brent. The policies in force pre-Davani did have the merit of affording staff a measure of protection in their contractual (employment) relationship with their employer (the council) whilst I fear that the Davani policies lack this.

As a resident in the borough, I have enormous difficulty in recognising the "modern flexible, service-first culture" lauded above. Staff are tired and resigned in the face of the deteriorating services they have to front and who can blame them? The public is treated just as badly by the council as Davani treats council staff. Notwithstanding cuts in expenditure - aka 'savings' - it is entirely possible for staff to offer a decent service if they, the staff, are well treated to begin with.

Staff do not go to work to fail - they want to go home satisfied in the knowledge that they have done an outstanding job. Good management acts as an enabler for this to occur naturally. Poor management just ensures staff 'serve their time', or clock watch.

This said, there is a notable number of staff who do succeed in rising above the oppressive conditions and I salute their dedication and professionalism.

Anonymous said...

Bloomsbury Resourcing also have connections to London's favorite Mayor in Tower Hamlets.

Anonymous said...

Yes Bernard Collier (Councillor for Willesden Green ward) was formerly (until March this year, I think) a Director of Bloomsbury Consulting

Anonymous said...

I disagree with the view on HR not being fit for purpose. Having managed there I encountered many HR Managers who would give good advice which would recommend a risk to be taken which was overturned by the legal team, or not taken by managers. Managers find it very easy to blame the advisors when prompted by a new bully such as Cara for support for her actions.

Policies in Brent were approved by senior managers and the drafts of policies were created with managers from departments. So to blame HR for these policies is a gross misrepresentation of the reality.

How is a bullying culture; managing by fear; targeting people to sack and racism making Brent and its HR team more fit for purpose? Clearly the person who has written this supportive statement has an agenda.

Anonymous said...



I raised Mr Colliers connection with Bloomsbury with Christine Gilbert before the elections, and was told he'd not be employed by Brent and that he'd need to declare an interest if he got elected. Martin, I think I sent you a copy of that reply, but I may be wrong.

The connection with Rahman is very interesting indeed.

There were events and practices that took place across Brent at the May elections that strongly resembled Tower Hamlets practices. I've raised many of them with Electoral Services and the response has been totally unsatisfactory, to say the least.

It was also apparent on the night that Gareth Daniels impartial and highly knowledgable expertise on election oversight is sorely missed.

Anonymous said...

I don't know Nan but hers is an incisive analysis of what appears to have gone wrong since Cara Davani was appointed as head of HR at Brent. From that and previous comments on the various related blogs, it's impossible to draw any other conclusion than that Ms Davani is unsuitable for her job - certainly in Brent, where all local knowledge seems to have been discounted when her appointment was made - and perhaps for any HR role. Maybe her 'skill-set' lies elsewhere... I believe she trains dogs.

Reference has been made in comments above to Bloomsbury Resourcing. Take a look and your heart will surely sink - its online blurb page tells us everything that's wrong with how local authority (LA) senior managers are selected

http://www.bloomsburyresourcing.co.uk/

As one of its self-appointed roles is to advise 'organisations' 'undergoing organisational reviews, restructures and change programmes', what's the bet it's being consulted on Brent's new borough plan - the excuse given for Christine Gilbert remaining as the borough's CE despite Cllr Butt's pre-election promise the contrary?

Referring to LAs as 'organisations' is dangerous management-speak which has been allowed to erase the crucial difference between a citizen-elected body and other set-ups. All reference to electorates and elections has been erased. So an LA becomes an 'organisation' like any other, not one responsible for delivering policies made by politicians to constituents. Local knowledge must be a prerequisite for senior LA posts - at a minimum, that surely means living in the borough in which you play a major role?

As for Bernard Collier - he seems to have quit his job at Bloomsbury Resourcing before last May's local election. He now works for the CAB, apparently - no question reads much better on a Labour Party councillor's CV. Here's his page on the council website

http://democracy.brent.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=8874

Anonymous said...

My name has got lost somehow. ;) just for the record the above is from Alison Hopkins.

Anonymous said...

Excellent points on 'organisations' and the cult-members who have practically taken over the public sector.

Anonymous said...

Well it was said when Gareth left that we would be heading back to the days when Brent used to be called Bent.... say no more

Anonymous said...

Totally agree, even if a shake up is required, the process must be fair and transparent. A strong and professional leader does not need to bully, harass or victimise staff in order to achieve excellent outcomes.

Anonymous said...

Thank you

COW said...

Are used to work in HR and can confirm that it was populated by people that were both lazy and useless. I left to get another job for practical reasons but would happily stayed when CD arrived. She challenged a lot of bad practice poor performance. What she got was a lot of unfounded allegations against her. It's quite clear that a number of Past and present staff of added to this blog. It is not too difficult for me to guest who they are. People don't like change that isn't fair to make this sort of allegations that have been made. Learning and development was a standing joke and so was everybody that worked in it. I now work in a place which would put that type of organisation to shame. I never personally had any problems with CD or any other manager for that matter because I feel I was competent did what I was paid to do. Instead of whingeing people should get on and do what they are supposed to do competently.

Anonymous said...

Name of sender very apt. You are obviously one of her interims, who obviously condones racism and bullying. I'm not even wasting anymore of my energy responding to this comment because you just haven't got a clue.

Anonymous said...

Obviously you are one of Davani's minions, how much are you getting paid? Obviously you have not read the judgement the judge has actually called her out lying on several occasions, Let me guess you made quite a bit of money, take it and get lost! Yes I am a very competent staff who is disgusted by bullies.

Anonymous said...

Cow - read the judgement you are condoning a racist bully . Shame on you!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your comments COW as all opinions and points of view are valued. I am a bit curious though as to the reason why you didnt stay when CD arrived. I'm sure that she would have valued your enthusiastic work ethic and you would have been awarded accordingly for your competence.

Not to worry, Brent's loss is your new organisations gain. By the way, the independent tribunal didnt agree with your point about unfounded racist bully allegations against her. I'm sure that a competent individual like yourself is able to read and follow the judgement. Victory for Rosemary Clarke. Need I say anymore. Maybe CD can go and work with you in your new organisation.

Nan Tewari said...

Didn't I read in the judgement that before Davani appeared on the scene, L & D had managed fast track Brent from the basic Investors in People Award to the Silver Award (thus by-passing the Bronze Award)?

Anonymous said...

Yep, once Davani was in power didn't Brent fail to meet the standards for IP awards. Funny that.